What Are the Four Things Allah Created with His Hands?

Understanding the Unique Creations of Allah

Allah, may He be Exalted, singled out Adam (peace be upon him) to create him with His Hands, as He has told us, and He did not create any other animate being with His Hands. Allah, may He be Glorified, says (interpretation of the meaning):

{[Allah] said, ‘O Iblis, what prevented you from prostrating to that which I created with My Hands? Were you arrogant [then], or were you [already] among the haughty?’} [Sad 38:75]

In the Hadith of intercession, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “I will be the leader of the people on the Day of Resurrection. Do you know why that is? Allah will gather together the first and the last in one plain, so that the onlooker will be able to see them and the caller will be able to make them hear. The sun will be brought close to them, And some of the people will say: ‘Do you not see the state you are in? Do you not see what has happened  to you. Why do you not look for someone who will intercede for you with your Lord?’ Some of the people will say, ‘[Go to] your father Adam.’

So they will go to him and say, ‘O Adam, you are the father of mankind, Allah created you with His own Hand and breathed into you the soul that He had created for you, and commanded the angels to prostrate to you, and He caused you to dwell in Paradise. Intercede for us with your Lord. Do you not see the state we are in? Do you not see what has happened to us?’ [Adam] will say: ‘My Lord is angry today in a way in which He has never been angry before and will never be angry again. He forbade me to approach the tree, but I disobeyed Him. Myself, myself. Go to someone else, go to Nuh…’” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 3340 and Muslim, 194)

Imam Ad-Darimi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Allah created Adam with His Hand directly; He did not create any other animate being with His Hands. Thus He singled him out, favoured him and honoured him with that renown. (End quote from Naqd Ad-Darimi `ala Al-Murusi, p. 64)

Ad-Darimi, Al-Lalka’i, Al-Ajurri and others narrated with an authentic chain of narration from Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: Allah created four things with His Hand: the Throne, the Pen, Eden and Adam. Then He said to the rest of creation: “Kun” (Be), and it was.

Ad-Darimii (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated with a good chain of narrations from Maysarah Abu Salih, the freed slave of Kindah, one of the Successors, that he said: Allah did not directly Handle anything of His creation except in three cases: He created Adam with His Hand, he wrote the Torah with His Hand, and He planted the Garden of Eden (Jannat `Adan) with His Hand. (End quote from Naqd Ad-Darimi, p. 99)

The commentator, Shaykh Mansur As-Samarii (may Allah have mercy on him), said in his introduction to the book: It was narrated from other Successors, such as Hakim ibn Jabir and Muhammad ibn Ka`b Al-Qurazi, with an authentic chain of narration, which I have quoted in my comment on the report where it appears in the book.

These are the four things that Allah created with His Hand: the Throne, the Pen, the Garden of Eden, and Adam. As for all other created beings, they were created by the word “Kun” (Be),  and they were.

Understanding the Significance of the Soul in Adam and His Offspring

With regard to the soul, in the case of Adam and all his offspring, Allah breathed into them the soul, which is a created soul. It is ascribed to Allah [the Arabic texts refer to “His [Allah’s] soul”] by way of honour.

Allah, may He be Glorified and Exalted, says with regard to Adam (peace be upon him):

{And when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My [created] soul, then fall down to him in prostration.} [Al-Hijr 15:29]

And He says with regard to `Isa (peace be upon him):

{The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him.} [An-Nisa’ 4:171]

And Allah knows best.